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Since this thread got resurrected, I will put in my 50cts...
One can spend $100/sq ft, though it would not be my pick, or up and beyond that lofty $400/sq ft. It really depends on several items including contract vs cost plus, building site and accessibility, weather, energy efficiency as queenofbavria noted, detail work, change orders, etc, etc.
Very difficult to nail a number that works for/fits/is 'standard', on a forum board, imo.
And, while I am no builder, we GC'd our house back in NY, built a size able mtn house on a cost plus basis in Waynesville, and invested/participated in 2 high end spec homes in Waynesville. 'Suburban' and flatter land building is very different from building on slopes, limited access, etc.
During any build, a dozen 'good ideas' and 'why don't we do this' will come up on the Jukebox, so sticking to orig. design, quote/contract, and cost, often proves difficult to do, imo.
But, good luck to all the people building houses!
BR, mD
A custom home will cost you more than you expect. And even though it's been my experience that construction prices have declined, you may still be very surprised. Wood prices droppped in May but resumed their normal level after that as the U.S. helped haiti and other stricken countries with their rebuilding needs. Additionally, the past few years have driven suplliers out of business. So, demand for building materials falls onto the ears of only those remaining providers and the rule of supply and demand drives costs up. Add to this the many variables associated with building, like topography, foundation requirements, community arhitectural design requirements, etc., and the stew thickens.
I have a lot in Black Mtn, NC. I had an Asheville architect do some beautiful design work for me. Now, this happened in 2008, so times were slighlty different. But, to my surprise too, the square footage building costs were..dare i say it...over $400/sq foot. Reducing the finishing touches, as you mention you're interested in doing, helped drop this cost. But not by much.
Building in the mountains is a craft. I'd suggest approaching a firm with home plans already in place. They'll allow for plan modifications and will prepare contractor prints as well as blue prints that you can use to gather constrator estimates. The contractor then knows exactly what you plan on building and they can be pretty accurate with their estimates to build that house. In fact, often times the company providing the home design offers reputable builders in your area of SC who you could interview and who could give you pretty solid estimates to build and they do this early and with line item pricing. That way there are no surprises and you can determine what you would want or need to sacrifice (if anything) to meet your budget.
When you say $130/sf is the square footage of the unfinished basement included?. In other words you multiply the area of 1st and 2nd floor of the house by $130 ? what about the 2 car garage area is it included? or you should multiply the $130 by the heated area?
$250-$400/sq in the Asheville region isn't odd.....it can be done cheaper and obviously a lot more expensive. In my experiences it is better for an architect to give estimates like that than tell his client $100/sq and have them disappointed if prices come in higher.
$250-$400/sq in the Asheville region isn't odd.....it can be done cheaper and obviously a lot more expensive. In my experiences it is better for an architect to give estimates like that than tell his client $100/sq and have them disappointed if prices come in higher.
I agree...posted many times by several of us, and nearly beaten to a pulp.
One could build a shack-like joint, anywhere in western NC, for cheap/<$150/$100.
Or, a decent joint for the prices quoted vis a vis the good advice.
Or, buy one of the thousands of existing homes...
GL, mD
Call Buchanan Construction out of Arden, NC 828-650-6565. He is reputable, and for what you are looking for $200- $275/ SQ ft should cover you easily. I will be building with him in the next year, and have seen his work, and spoke with his clients. He's a real stand up guy.
That is high. My father builds custom homes in Highlands, we are talking 10,000 sq ft+ and they charge in the $200 sq.ft. for that. For something quality I would say around $150/sq ft
Some builders are still in "high profit mode," and there is no way the cost you're being quoted is realistic. Sounds like they don't have much work and using you to make up for lost time. You're better off doing a cost plus contract and that way you see the actual cost line item by line item and then the builder's profit should be between 10% and 15% and NO MORE!....most builders factor in 20% and then tack on another 10% to 20% on each line item really padding their pockets and this sounds like the pricing you've been quoted. We've built several homes and each time, we did cost plus and limited the contractor to no more than 15% profit and we controlled the draws viewing each invoice for accuracy. And we required the builder to get estimates from more than one building supply house. Make sure the subs used are reliable, and insured and make absolutely sure your builder is licensed, insured and you can request them to be bonded for additional protection. These days, you really have to be careful. In summary, look to spend around $125.00 a foot in 2013 for a really nice, custom home with granite countertops, tile and wood floors and double hung windows. Be careful on the windows for many builders will use single hung to cut costs. The costs are based on building in N.C. Asheville is one of the highest in our State and it's not because of materials...it's due to greed by the builders unless of course the terrain is rocky and foundation work is extensive. Hope this helps!
His numbers must include a huge commission rate for him and the builder. I know SC builders build for less $$ than they do in Asheville, so I would use $125 a foot as a maximum. I had a friend build a spectacular house in Cashiers, NC for $160 and it has everything.
I have noticed in Western NC that builders build concrete block basements(every seam is a chance for moisture and there are 1000s) with no insulation under the floor, rim or walls and no vertical drainage board. This is a very cheap, cold and moist way to build a basement. Most all the houses we have been in that have below grade living space smell musty.
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Cost per sq.foot
